Cooking range hood



1952 H. E. NICOL COOKING RANGE HOOD Filed Sept. 30, 1949 Q WOMOHEFIJErIEJNI DUI- GMOMM Patented Jan. 15, 1952 UNITED STATES T OFICE 2Claims. 1

This invention relates generally to ventilated hoods for collecting andexhausting odors and heated gases of combustion from the top of cookingranges.

Elimination of obnoxious odors and excessive temperatures occurring indomes-tic kitchens presents a difiicult problem, which conventionalmethods have failed to satisfactorly solve for several obvious reasons.

To collect and dispose of a comparatively small volume of heated gasesarising from cooking food, as well as the actual products of combustionfrom an open flame, is relativelysi-m-ple, but diff.- culty arises fromthe fact that such heated gases quickly contaminate a large volume ofsurrounding air that is troublesome to control.

To meet the foregoing condition, large collection hoods, necessarilyspaced :a substantial distance above the range, and large capacityexhaust blower systems have been employed. Such hoods are objectionablebecause of their unsightly size, and the fact that by the time thegrease-ladened gases reach the hood they become sufficiently cooled tocause condensation and accumulation of 'greaseon the inner surf-ace ofthe hood, which "is objectionable from the standpoint of cleanliness andsanitation.

With a large capacity fan or blower, a considerable volume of exhausteda'ir must be replenished byoutside air which, during cold weathermaterially increases the heating load. If replacement air is drawnthrough other rooms in the building, a partially contaminatedcirculation is frequently set up to foul the air throughout thestructure.

The salient feature of the present invention resides in the provision ofa comparatively small compact hood vented by a low capacity blower, orthrough a natural draft flue, and positioned closely adjacent the top ofa cooking range to collect odors and heat of combustion at their source,before they have had opportunity to contact and affect an uncontrollablevolume of surrounding atmosphere.

Incidental to the foregoing, a still further object of the invention isto provide the hood with an adjustable transparent front visor tofacilitate access to utensils during the cooking operation, and alsoafford unrestricted view of the work at all times.

In addition to the foregoing, other objects will appear as thedescription proceeds, and while the accompanying drawing illustrates onecomplete physical form of the invention constructed in accordance withthe best mode so far devised, it is to be understood that changes in theprecise em- 2 bodiment of the invention are contemplated within thescope of the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a perspective View of a typical home kitchen installationconsisting of a gas range and matching cabinets, the invention beingapplied thereto;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through the hood incorporatingprinciples of the present invention, the same being taken on the line 22of Fig. 3; and

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure2.

Referring now more particularly to the accompany'ing drawing, Figure 1illustrates a convent'ional gas stove 4, equipped with a top burnergrill installed against a kitchen wall 7, between a pair of conformingcabinets 6, which serve as convenient work shelves and storagecompartments. Attached to the wall I, in substantial vertical alignmentwith the stove 4, is a hood '8 consisting of a rear wall 8 and sidewalls It connected by an arcuate front sector I I. The upper portion ofthe hood 8 is provided with a partition shelf I2 forming a compartmentI3 for housing a motor actuated blower I4, to which an exhaust vent I '5is connected. The compartment I3 is preferably closed by hinged doorsI6, to provide access to the blower and simulate adjacent storagecabinets I'I.

Pivotally connected to the side walls N3 of the hood 8, adjacent theirrear edges, is a visor I8 comprising a pair of side arms connected byan' arcuate front frame 28. The arms I9 and frame 29 are preferably ofskeleton structure provided with transparent windows 2i to affordunrestricted View of utensils positioned on the grill 5 and the topplate of the stove. As best shown in Figure 2, the visor I8 is supportedin its lower operative position by an inturned lip I I formed on thelower edge of the arcuate front plate I I. A suitable handle 22 attachedto the lower edge of the arcuate frame 20 facilitates raising andlowering the visor I8 to selective adjusted positions, in which thevisor is held by frictional pintles or conventional types ofcounter-balance devices (not shown).

Positioned within the upper portion of the hood 3 and extendingrearwardly from a point adjacent the lip I I is an inclined deflectorplate 23 terminating at its upper edge a sufficient distance from therear of the hood, to provide an elongated opening 24 through which odorsand gases are drawn by the blower I4 through an opening I2 formed in thepartition shelf I2.

A horizontal plate 25 extends between the front H of the hood and theupper edge of the inclined plate 23 to close the top of a compartment 26defined by the arcuate hood front I I and the inclined plate 23, intowhich the visor I8 is raised from its lower operative position.

Obviously, the deflector plate 23 also serves to protect the transparentvisor I8 against the effect of concentrated columns of heated airdirectly above the burner grill 5, when the visor is raised to its topposition, shown in dotted lines in Figure 2.

Side panels 23', secured to the back wall 9 of the hood, and spacedslightly from the side walls to provide space for the visor arms I9,support the deflector plate 23. A restricted opening 25', formed in theplate 25, vents the compartment 26 to prevent accumulation of gaseswithin the same.

From the foregoing explanation, considered in connection with theaccompanying drawing, operation of the present invention will beapparent, in that odors and heated gases of combustion arising from thestove and collected within the hood 8 will be continuously exhausted bythe blower I4, or natural flue draft, through the duct l to outsideatmosphere.

During normal cooking of odorous food, the visor I8 is adjusted to itslowest position as shown in Figure 2, and because of its close proximityto the top of the stove and burner grill 5, obviously a rising column ofheated air surrounding a utensil positioned on the grill 5 (solid linearrow, Fig. 2), as well as odors (wavy arrow) confined within the risingconverging column above the utensil, will be entrapped within the visorat their source, and discharged from the top of the hood, by the blowerI4, before the same have had suflicient time to contact a large volumeof room atmosphere (dotted arrows) and becomes cooled sufficiently tocause condensation on the inner walls of the hood.

During the cooking operation a clear view of the utensils is afforded bythe transparent front and side windows 2| of the visor l8, and thehandles of the utensils are readily accessible for shifting the samewithout disturbing the visor. When it is desired to have full access tothe cooking utensils, the visor can be quickly lifted to its uppermostposition as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2. When non-odorousoperations are performed, such as boiling water and the like, the visorill need not be lowered unless it is desired to eliminate radiation ofheat from the gases of combustion.

In addition to collecting odors and gases at their source, by means of acomparatively compact hood and a small capacity blower, or natural fiue'draft, it will be appreciated that the visor l8 also serves to confinespattering grease occurring during frying operations. Also, because ofits convenient location, the interior of the visor is accessible foreasy wiping and cleaning of the transparent windows 2|.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a hood forsupport above a cooking range in close proximity to its burners andcomprising a transparent visor pivotally connected to said hood to forma lower front portion of the same, the front of said visor being arcuatein cross section, a deflector plate mounted in said hood forming acompartment for reception of the arcuate front of said transparent visorand serving to protect said visor against concentrated columns of heatedair when said visor is swung to raised position, and means for ventingsaid hood to outside atmosphere.

2. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a hood forsupport above a cooking range in close proximity to its burners andcomprising a transparent visor pivotally connected to said hood to formlower front and side portions of the same, the front of said visor beingarcuate in cross section, a deflector plate mounted in said hood forminga compartment for reception of the arcuate front of said visor whenraised, and an exhaust fan positioned above said deflector plate forventing said hood.

HERBERT E. NICOL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 607,976 Amos July 26, 1898913,465 Brouillet Feb. 23, 1909 1,038,287 Carpenter Sept. 10, 19121,463,242 Biggs July 31, 1923 1,650,859 Anderson Nov. 29, 1927-1,885,016 Ryan Oct. 25, 1932 2,077,496 Sonntag Apr. 20, 1937 2,341,245Sonntag Feb. 8, 1944 2,478,253 Doner Aug. 9, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS NumberCountry Date 111,618 Sweden Aug. 29, 1944

